Chevy has unvealed their new 2015 Colorado and it came with a whopper - a new diesel engine will be offered in 2016. Along with new styling, this new midsize truck should be a strong competitor.
The Chevy Colorado fills GM's marketing plan of having a small, medium and large truck. It is 6 inches narrower, 18 inches shorter, 3 inches lower and nearly 1,000 lbs lighter than the larger Silverado. It has a much more sporty styling and has dropped some of the square looks of past models. The smaller truck shares some of the larger trucks innovations like the tailgate step, aluminum hood, triple sealing on doors for quiet ride and instrument panel upgrades with 8-inch navigation screen with the MyLink system. [more]
As exciting as the styling changes are is the news of a diesel engine offering. Coming in 2016, the 2.8L, 4-cyl "baby" Duramax diesel engine will most likely have 200 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. If it follow the Ram's EcoDiesel offering, the engine will have an upcharge of several thousand dollars yet it will have superior low-end torque and MPGs. The Colorado will also come with a base 2.5L, 4-cyl engine rated at 193 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque as well as a 3.6L V-6 with 302 HP and 207 lb-ft of torque.
GM has decided to offer just three trim levels - a WT (work truck), LT and Z71. Also, it will be offered with a 5-foot or 6-foot bed in either an extended cab or crew cab (no regular cab). The lack of choices might work to their benefit with less consumer confusion.
Currently, the Toyota Tacoma dominates the market. GM says it will try to cut into that market share as well as try to attract Ram and Ford customers looking for a midsize option. It also plans on filling a void for a midsize fleet truck since the Ranger left the market.
The truck will probably be offered at under $20k to create a price gap between it and the larger Silverado. Expecations are that it will get fuel economy in the mid 20s with the diesel possibly hitting the high 20s or 30.

On November 14th, a 360-degree barrel roll was caught on tape at an event in Ensenada, Mexico. What's the big deal? Well, this may be the first 360 barrel roll done by a truck that has ever been successful and caught on tape. Whether it is or is not, it is very impressive. Baja 1000 racer Adrian "Wildman" Cenni makes a clean jump and sticks the landing. His nickname definitely makes sense now! So, would you ever have the guts to ever try something similar to this or would you like to keep all four wheels on the ground? Check out the video by clicking through. [more]
Via Autoblog